To be clear, Bromstad doesn't say that 'Chuck' and 'Heroes' will definitely be back. But when a high-level network exec says in an interview just a couple of weeks before their upfront presentation that 'Chuck' is their highest-performing Monday night show," a "very strong player," and that "it's a show that matches up with our new shows," that usually means there's a lot more chance it will be back than a chance it will be canceled. Still, it wouldn't hurt to go to Subway every day for the next two weeks.

Bromstad also says that 'Heroes' could come back to split a time slot with another show. Again, not a definite commitment, but the show does well in a certain demo and also online, so it sounds like they're trying to find a way to keep it.

But most of the interview is about the new shows that NBC has already announced they've picked up and the new shows that have gotten a good response so far. J.J. Abrams' 'Undercovers' has been given the green light and people seem to like it. Bromstad says that even though Abrams is busy with movies he'll still find time to work on the show after directing the pilot.

The other shows NBC has picked up are the comedy 'Outsourced,' and the romance anthology series 'Love Bites.' While the 'Rockford Files' remake and the superhero show 'The Cape,' (which refers to an actual cape a guy wears and not a summer vacation spot in Massachusetts) are both getting good buzz, we'll have to wait until NBC's May 17 upfront to hear the thumbs up or the thumbs down.

There's another show they've already picked up called 'The Event,' but it's going to be a question mark the size of Texas. It's a serialized -- oh no, serialized! -- drama about a guy caught up in a big conspiracy. I guess the only question is will it be the next 'Lost' or the next 'Daybreak'? Will you give another show like that a chance after so many networks have canceled so many serialized shows before they're even over or will you just say "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"?

You know what? Both 'Chuck' and 'Heroes' should be renewed. 'Chuck' should be renewed for obvious reasons. It's WICKED AWESOME! Oh, you want a more detailed reason than that? Well, besides what Bromstad said about it being NBC's most popular show on Monday nights, it's actually a show that gets culty fan buzz and has the quality to justify that fan fervor. It's truly one of the most entertaining shows on TV right now.

As for 'Heroes,' even fans who think the show has gone downhill the past couple of years -- or from the second episode, the way some fans talk -- will admit that it just seems a bit unfinished. The season finale tied up some loose ends but it also opened the door to some cool possibilities. The last episode didn't scream "there's so much more to say about these characters so give us another 22 episodes!" but it did say "this show needs 13 episodes to truly finish things up."

So NBC, please give us those last episodes so we'll have a definite conclusion. I'd like to have a nice, tidy ending for the complete series DVD set.

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4 Comments

I love Chuck and he should not be cancelled. Why are most of the good shows cancelled and the garbage left on the air (not just NBC)? The cancellations should be for the people who make the bad decisions.

Heroes never needs to be back. How many chances can you get beforeyou just have to give up. People may want things wrapped up, but thestory is so abysmal that who really cares. I was a huge fan, butthere is no denying that the writers don't really know what they aredoing. Plenty of shows have deserved a story completion that haven'tgot the chance, so why should a show that is just bumbling around?

Heroes never needs to be back. How many chances can you get before you just have to give up. People may want things wrapped up, but the story is so abysmal that who really cares. I was a huge fan, but there is no denying that the writers don't really know what they are doing. Plenty of shows have deserved a story completion that haven't got the chance, so why should a show that is just bumbling around?